


so you better get this party started

by thewalrus_said



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Coming Out, Demiromantic Character, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 04:46:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19716496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewalrus_said/pseuds/thewalrus_said
Summary: Viktor comes out.





	so you better get this party started

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! This was mainly a way for me to sort out some headcanons, and I figured I'd share with the class. Thanks to [RobinLorin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinLorin/pseuds/RobinLorin) and [Kaz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kazul9) for casting their eyes over this one for me. Hope you enjoy!

“Viktor, you’re openly married to another man, but why have you never come out?”

Viktor waited until her friend lowered the phone pointed at them before responding. “That’s a long story, but I’m working on it,” he said, pulling his arm from around her shoulders. “It’s not as simple as just coming out for me. You’ll understand when I do.”

The fan looked abashed. Viktor smiled at her until she tentatively returned it and left with her friend, and made his way to where Yuuri was waiting for him a few meters down the block.

“She asked why I’ve never come out,” Viktor said under his breath as they made their way along the street.

Yuuri took his hand. “Vitya, you don’t owe anybody anything. You don’t have to make a statement if you don’t want to.”

Viktor sighed. “You keep saying that, but I think I do. She’s not the first to have asked, and she won’t be the last. I can’t keep brushing them off. I’m a public figure, it comes with the territory.”

When Viktor looked over, Yuuri was frowning in thought. “I can see your point. I still think it’s your business, and if you’re worried about it, you don’t have to do it. But whatever you decide to do, I’ll be behind you, you know that.”

Viktor pulled him in a little closer and kissed his temple. “I know. And I love you.”

“I love you too.”

That night, when Yuuri went out on his usual run, Viktor went to his laptop and opened the nameless document he’d created two years ago. He read through it, flexed his fingers, and started typing.

By the time Yuuri returned home and showered, Viktor had a draft that was closer to complete than he’d ever gotten it before. “Will you read this?” he asked as Yuuri flopped down on the couch next to him.

“Sure.” Viktor passed over his computer and went to make a cup of tea.

When he came back out, Yuuri put the laptop onto the table and stood up. Walking over to Viktor, he wrapped him in a hug. “It’s beautiful,” he said, voice muffled where his mouth was pressed into Viktor’s shirt.

Viktor kissed the top of his head. “You think it’s alright?” Yuuri nodded. “And the English isn’t too awkward? I was worried.”

Yuuri released him. “It looked fine to me, but I can do another pass looking at that if you want.”

“I’d appreciate it,” Viktor said sheepishly. “It’s just, it’s important, and I want it to be as polished as possible.”

Yuuri led him back over to the couch. “Are you going to post it tonight?”

“In the morning. I want to be able to keep an eye on the responses, make sure nothing gets too out of hand.”

Viktor drank his tea with Yuuri’s feet in his lap, as his husband poked away at the laptop. “There,” Yuuri said finally, looking at Viktor over the lid. “I made a few edits in red, but there wasn’t much to change. Your English is better than you think it is.”

Viktor took the laptop back. “Still not as good as yours,” he replied, reviewing the edits. They all looked better to him, so he changed them to black and saved the document. “I’ll give it one more look over breakfast and then post it.”

“Are you nervous?” Yuuri’s eyes were kind and focused when Viktor’s met them.

Viktor nodded. “It’s been so long. And I just don’t want to hurt anyone.”

Yuuri leaned forward; Viktor met him with a kiss. “I don’t think you will. And if anyone gets hurt, it won’t be you doing the hurting.”

“I’ll try to remember that.” Viktor carefully scooped Yuuri’s feet out of his lap and stood up, retrieving his mug. “I’m going to shower. Cuddle me in bed after?”

Yuuri gave him an exasperated look. “Do I ever do anything else?”

“Just checking.”

\---------

_ Posted to Viktor Nikiforov’s Facebook page, 13 June 2019: _

Hi everybody. This is a long one, so buckle up.

It should come as little surprise to you when I say that I’m gay. I’m married to a man, it’s not much of a stretch. But that’s not all I am. I’m also demiromantic. If you’re not sure what that means, suffice it to say that romantic feelings don’t come easily to me. Yuuri took me by surprise. Before I fell in love with him, I identified as aromantic.

I’ve waited a long time to come out about this, because I worried a lot about doing harm to the aromantic community with my story. Aromantic people get hit with an incredibly toxic narrative, that they “just haven’t met the right person yet,” and from the outside my story looks a lot like that. I thought I was aromantic, I met the right person, I discovered I was wrong.

I want to be very clear that I utterly reject that notion and that narrative. That’s not what my story is. If you ever want to say to somebody, “You just haven’t met the right person yet; look at Viktor Nikiforov,” you do not have my permission to say that. You do not have my permission to use my name to put someone else down.

I wasn’t out as aromantic to a lot of people, but some of the people I did come out to responded with that narrative. They told me I couldn’t be sure, that one day I would meet someone who would change things. Despite the fact that from a certain angle, these people were right, I do not look back on these people with fondness. I look back on them with the same mixture of anger, fear, and pity that I did at the time. They took a person opening up to them and refused to listen to him, and twisted his words to fit their own understanding. Don’t be like those people. If someone comes out to you as aromantic, say you believe them and then stop talking and start listening; it’s the best thing you can do.

To the aromantic community, I want to say: I believe you. You are real and true and beautiful and I believe you. If anyone tries to use my story to invalidate your experiences, you have my permission to brush them aside, to put them from your mind. They are using me incorrectly. And to the demiromantic community: You are also real and true and beautiful, and it’s been my honor to be a part of it with you.

To everyone who has asked me over the years why I haven’t come out, I hope it’s a little clearer now. (And to the person who asked me yesterday - don’t worry, I’ve been working on this for a long time, it wasn’t just you.) I’ve been so worried about my story being used to hurt people that I think I forgot it could also help. I hope my coming out helps someone.

So there you have it. I’m gay. I’m demiromantic. Both of those identities are important to me, so please respect them going forward. Thank you for your time.

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on [Tumblr](https://thewalrus-said.tumblr.com)!


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